Looking at its latest The Future of Trucking report, Isuzu analyses the changing nature of Australian truck buyer behaviour and the forces that influence it.
The truck OEM says there’s genuine value in understanding the data on who’s buying what next and why they are making those decisions.
Isuzu says knowing your market is understanding the priorities of Aussie businesses that heavily rely on road transport for a huge range of outcomes – and about applying this market knowledge to develop and specify products that will lead to the best ‘whole-of-life’ equation for the consumer.
According to its research, Isuzu says newly bought trucks remain on the road for an overall average of around six years before replacement becomes a genuine consideration.
The average age of our national truck fleet also remains much the same as it has for many years, with that figure currently hovering at 14.4 years. Comparatively, in some European countries such as Austria, that figure looks more like six years.
The report says that for the majority of larger fleets, and many smaller operations, the ongoing maintenance, fuel and repair costs (whole-of-life costs) are the immediate factors in procurement decision-making.
The research shows that the single biggest driver of buyer behaviour in the Australian truck market is maintenance costs. This is followed by business growth or expansion and thirdly, the end-of-life (resale) of that piece of equipment.
For some time now, Isuzu has seen a rise in popularity of turnkey, pre-bodied, ‘ready to work’ trucks as a legitimate solution for a growing number of operators in varied applications across the sector.
In line with previous findings, this is a trend that is developing at pace, with the curve continuing to track upwards.
The provision of maintenance packages such as OEM service agreements are rapidly gaining popularity at the procurement stage too.
Aussie operators understand the premise of investing upfront in these arrangements, equating to increased uptime, reduced handling and ultimately, better margins,” says Isuzu.
The OEM says its feedback reveals that service agreements afford time and energy for many businesses. Time to focus on sales and customer service quality, rather than the mechanics of keeping trucks in operation.
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